My latest Function Health results suggest that longevity may be less about maximizing and more about balancing.

Last week my latest Function Health results arrived along with clinician notes, covering blood work collected on May 26, 2026. As usual, opening the report felt a little like getting a report card back from biology.

Some biomarkers improved.

Some stayed flat.

And a few unexpectedly moved in the wrong direction. 🤦‍♂️

This is now about 18 months into my serious longevity journey. Since January 2025, I’ve been intentionally improving sleep, nutrition, recovery, exercise, and biomarker tracking. I expected that with enough consistency, the numbers would just keep improving.

Biology, as it turns out, is more nuanced. Sometimes better health is not about pushing harder. It’s about finding the right balance.

The Big Picture: January 2025 → June 2026

Eighteen months into this journey, the biggest risks have largely moved into the rearview mirror, and the remaining work is about building resilience for the long game.

Biomarker	Jan 2025 (Blueprint)	Jan 2026 (Function)	Jun 2026 (Function)	Longevity Take
ApoB (mg/dL)	87	51	59	Massive improvement, still elite
hs-CRP (mg/L)	4.38	0.3	<0.2	Inflammation nearly eliminated
LDL-C (mg/dL)	83	56	61	Excellent cardiovascular risk
Triglycerides (mg/dL)	113	74	60	Metabolically elite
HbA1c (%)	5.4	5.2	5.2	Stable and optimal
Insulin (µIU/mL)	2.4	5.2	2.2	Exceptional insulin sensitivity
Omega-3 Index (%)	3.1	8.4	7.3	Dramatic improvement from baseline
Ferritin (ng/mL)	55	32	31	Lower than baseline, now stable
Homocysteine (µmol/L)	11.1	7.1	9.1	Meaningfully improved
Vitamin D (ng/mL)	~50s	57	70	Excellent range
WBC (K/µL)	Normal	3.2	3.4	Mildly low but stable
Platelets (K/µL)	Normal-low	131	129	Stable, likely athlete pattern
DHEA-S (mcg/dL)	Not measured	45	55	Improved, still below optimal
LDL Particle Number (nmol/L)	830	979	1166	Worsened despite excellent ApoB
LDL Small (nmol/L)	N/A	175	234	Area for continued optimization
Biological Age	~46 chronologic	35.3	37.0	Still ~9 years younger biologically

Looking at the full picture, this is no longer a story about preventing disease. It is increasingly a story about balancing performance, recovery, and longevity.

The Good News First

Objectively, my health today is significantly better than it was in January 2025.

Inflammation has collapsed.

Cardiovascular risk markers have improved dramatically.

Metabolic health remains elite.

My ApoB is now 59 mg/dL. My hs-CRP is less than 0.2 mg/L. LDL cholesterol sits at 61 mg/dL. Triglycerides are 60 mg/dL. Insulin remains a remarkably low 2.2 uIU/mL.

Those are the kinds of numbers I hoped to achieve when this journey began.

Even my Omega-3 status, while lower than earlier this year, remains far better than where I started.

The Surprising Part

A few markers regressed despite doing almost everything the same.

Between January and May 2026, I made virtually no dietary or supplement changes. The biggest lifestyle change was exercise.

In 2025, I averaged roughly 5 miles of running per day.

From January through mid-February 2026, I increased that to nearly 10 miles per day.

Since then, I have averaged around 7 miles per day while continuing my weightlifting routine.

The result?

Some lipid particle markers worsened.

Biomarker	January 2026	May 2026
LDL Particle Number	979	1166
LDL Small	175	234
LDL Medium	182	244
HDL Large	6763	5816
LDL Pattern	B	B
LDL Peak Size	215.6	216.4

At first glance, that was frustrating.

After all, shouldn’t more exercise always equal better biomarkers?

Maybe not.

Have I Reached Diminishing Returns?

The more I look at these results, the more I wonder if I have crossed from “healthy exercise” into “elite endurance training.”

There is a difference.

Exercise is one of the most powerful longevity interventions we know of, but like many things in biology, the dose matters.

Based on the clinician notes, and the help of AI tools, my body is showing several signals that recovery demand may be approaching or exceeding recovery capacity:

• Ferritin remains below optimal.
• White blood cells remain mildly low.
• Platelets remain mildly low.
• DHEA-S remains low.
• Omega-3 levels declined.

None of these findings concern me individually. Together, though, they tell a story.

The story may simply be this:

I may be training harder than my body needs for optimal longevity.

The Ferritin Story

One biomarker I have been watching closely is ferritin, the body’s iron reserve.

In January 2025, my ferritin was 55 ng/mL. By late 2025, after increasing my running volume, following the Don’t Die Food Guide, eliminating red meat, and maintaining regular sauna sessions, it had fallen to 18 ng/mL.

My latest test came back at 31 ng/mL.

Date	Ferritin (ng/mL)
January 2025 (Blueprint)	55
November 2025 (WHOOP Advanced Labs)	18
January 2026 (Function Health)	32
May 2026 (Function Health)	31

At first glance, that looks discouraging, but the story is more nuanced.

Ferritin does not exist in isolation. Endurance athletes lose iron through sweat, foot strike hemolysis, increased red blood cell turnover, and sometimes through dietary changes that reduce heme iron intake.

When I look at the full picture, I do not see a body breaking down. I see a body adapting to a high training load.

The encouraging part is that ferritin appears to have stabilized. After a significant drop from 55 to 18, it held steady around the low 30s over the next six months despite continued running, strength training, and sauna use.

That suggests my current iron strategy is largely replacing ongoing losses, even if it is not yet rebuilding reserves.

The goal now is not simply to raise ferritin. It is to rebuild iron stores without sacrificing the habits that transformed the rest of my health.

Longevity is rarely about maximizing a single number.

It is about balancing the entire system.

Biological Age: One Step Back?

Function Health also nudged my biological age upward from 35.3 years old to 37 years old.

At first, that was disappointing. Then I remembered something important. Nearly six months have passed.

A 1.7-year increase over a 6-month period is not necessarily a meaningful deterioration, especially when nearly every major cardiovascular and metabolic marker remains excellent.

If anything, it is a reminder that biological age estimates are useful signals, not final judgments.

Building LabReady

One unexpected outcome of all this testing is that I kept getting confused about fasting requirements.

Function Health has one protocol.

WHOOP Advanced Labs has another.

Blueprint guidance can differ.

My healthcare provider has others.

Some tests require avoiding exercise. Others require fasting windows. Some involve supplement restrictions.

I found myself repeatedly asking:

When do I stop eating?

Can I drink tea with caffeine?

Should I pause creatine?

What about hydration?

So I built a solution.

I just released LabReady, a simple fasting timer for blood work prep.

After using a few different lab companies, I kept finding myself double-checking when to stop eating, pause green tea intake, hydrate, review supplements, avoid exercise, or follow specific test instructions.

LabReady turns those moving pieces into a clear prep timeline based on your lab appointment time.

It’s built for anyone tracking biomarkers, longevity labs, lipid panels, glucose, hormones, heavy metals, or routine blood work.

You can check it out here and please review the app with a simple star rating as it helps with app store discovery:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/labready-fasting-tracker/id6774012579

Final thoughts

At the start of this journey, my goal was simple:

Literally, don’t die.

Over time, the goal evolved.

Now I am learning that longevity is not about endlessly pushing harder. For me, it is more about balance.

The body keeps score, but given the right inputs, it also adapts.

Sometimes the next breakthrough is not doing more. It is recovering smarter.

The experiment continues. And for now, the data suggests I’m heading in the right direction.

Function Health Biomarker Results (May 2026)

---

🩺 Disclaimer

The content on I Won’t Die is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any health concerns.

---

🚀 Get Started with Blueprint

Start optimizing your health today with $25 off your first order! Use our referral code to begin your Blueprint journey and take control of your longevity.

---

🏋️‍♂️ Track Your Sleep, Workouts & Recovery

Boost your performance and recovery with Whoop. Join with my referral link to get a free WHOOP 5.0 and one month free!

---

📲 Download the I Won’t Die App

Stay ahead with the latest news, updates, and insights. Download the I Won’t Die app now on the Apple App Store and Google Play!

---

📩 Contact Us

Have tips, photos, or questions? Want to collaborate? Reach out at [email protected] — we’d love to hear from you!

---

🔗 Stay Connected

Follow us on Don't Die, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn for Blueprint longevity and Bryan Johnson updates.

---

📬 Subscribe to I Won’t Die Newsletter

Get the latest longevity breakthroughs, Blueprint updates, and exclusive content straight to your inbox — sign up now!

---

After January Function Health labs showed major progress and a few stubborn biomarkers, I went back to Quest for the full 126-marker retest.

Yesterday, I went back to Quest Diagnostics for my Function Health Mid-Year Test.

Or at least, that was the original plan.

Function Health (referral link) offers a standard mid-year follow-up, but I decided to upgrade to the full panel instead. The reason was simple. Earlier this year, a handful of my out-of-range biomarkers were not included in the standard mid-year test. And if the whole point is to measure what changed, I want to actually measure what changed.

The upsell was $269.00.

For a full re-test of the same 126 biomarkers I did earlier this year, that did not feel crazy to me. Expensive? Sure. But in the world of health optimization, where people will spend that on supplements, wearables, cold plunges, sauna blankets, or one very enthusiastic Whole Foods or Erewhon run, this felt like a reasonable investment.

Now the waiting begins.

According to Function Health, full results should be ready in about four weeks.

A Quick Recap of My January Labs

When the dust settled from my January Function Health labs, the scorecard looked like this:

126 biomarkers tracked
12 Out of Range
94 In Range
20 Other

That was after five additional biomarkers showed up as In Range after I published my last blog post on February 24th.

Overall, the big picture was encouraging.

My cardiometabolic risk profile had improved dramatically compared to where things stood one year earlier. ApoB was strong. Inflammation was low. Triglycerides were stable. A1C looked good. My biological age was trending younger than my calendar age.

That was the win.

But the remaining out-of-range markers were where the real story moved next.

Not disaster markers.

Not panic markers.

More like “your body is doing a lot, maybe pay attention” markers.

The Markers I Wanted to Recheck

The first was ferritin.

My ferritin came in at 32, up from 18 in November 2025 after my WHOOP Advanced Labs. That was not anemia. My hemoglobin was strong at 15.5. But my iron stores were still lighter than ideal, especially with a high training volume and no red meat intake in over a year.

The good news was that ferritin had already nearly doubled from my November WHOOP Advanced Labs to 32 in January. So the question now is whether the trend continued.

Did the iron strategy keep working?

Did training volume blunt the improvement?

Did I actually build a stronger reserve?

That is one of the numbers I am most curious to see.

The second was DHEA Sulfate.

Mine came in at 45, which was low for age. Testosterone was still strong at 550, but DHEA is more of an upstream reserve signal. I think of it as one of those “how much output are you demanding from the system?” markers.

High training load. Chronic output. Lots of running. Lots of work. Lots of life.

Eventually, the body cashes the checks you keep writing.

The third area was immune and blood counts.

White Blood Cell Count was 3.2. Platelets were 131. Mildly low, and not necessarily alarming in the context of endurance training, but still worth watching.

This is the part of longevity that is easy to miss. Sometimes the thing that makes you healthier in one direction can create pressure in another. More training can improve cardiovascular health, body composition, mood, insulin sensitivity, and sleep pressure.

But too much training without enough recovery can start showing up elsewhere.

That is why labs matter.

They turn “I feel fine” into “let’s check the receipt.”

The fourth surprise was LDL Pattern B and small dense LDL.

This one annoyed me a little.

ApoB was excellent. Inflammation was low. The overall lipid story looked strong. But Function flagged elevated small dense LDL and Pattern B, suggesting particle quality could still improve.

Not a red alarm.

But definitely a signal.

So, that is why I upgraded to the full re-test. I did not want a partial answer. I wanted the full sequel.

The Quest Diagnostics Moment

Going to Quest for blood work is always funny to me.

You are sitting there trying to act completely normal while someone is literally extracting life out of your body. For me this time it was 14 vials of blood plus a urine test.

The technicians are always good at small talk. I assume this is part of the training. Keep the person chatting. Keep them relaxed. Make it feel casual.

“So, how was your Memorial Day weekend?”

“Good,” I said. “Also, I’m fine with the blood draw.”

Then, because I apparently cannot behave like a normal person even while being medically drained, I asked her a question.

Which third-party testing provider is the most popular at this location?

Her answer surprised me.

Function Health, by far.

Then WHOOP, Oura, and Superpower.

That was interesting.

Not scientific. Not a market report. Just one Quest location and one technician’s perspective. But still, it was a fun little real-world signal.

I also asked if she was familiar with Bryan Johnson or his blood panel.

She was not.

That surprised me too, mostly because in my corner of the internet Bryan Johnson is everywhere. But it was a good reminder that the longevity bubble is still a bubble. Most normal people are not spending their free time comparing ApoB, epigenetic clocks, ferritin, DHEA, HRV, and small dense LDL.

Imagine that.

The Blood Work Bundle Economy

The more I think about this space, the more interesting it gets.

Function Health, WHOOP, Oura, Superpower, Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint ecosystem, and others are all playing a similar game in different ways.

They are bundling biomarkers.

Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp usually handles the actual blood draw and lab testing at one of their thousand plus sites nationwide. Then each company layers its own interpretation, interface, recommendations, tracking, and “magic sauce” on top.

That is where the consumer value is supposed to show up.

The labs are the raw material.

The interpretation is the product.

And honestly, I think this is a good thing.

As more companies compete to package blood testing in a way normal people can understand, the cost of regular testing should keep coming down. The experience should improve. The insights should get clearer. And eventually, more people will stop waiting until something breaks before they look under the hood.

That is the future I want.

Preventive health should not feel like a luxury hobby for biohackers with spreadsheets.

It should feel normal.

What I Hope to See

I am not expecting perfection when the results begin to trickle in.

That is not how health works.

What I want to see is direction.

Ferritin moving up would be a win.

DHEA improving would be a great sign that my recovery and stress load are better matched.

White blood cells and platelets moving into a stronger range would suggest my training volume is not quietly suppressing immune reserve.

Small dense LDL improving would be another nice confirmation that the lipid story is not just good on the surface, but cleaner underneath too.

And if some things are still out of range, great.

That gives me the next experiment.

This is the part I enjoy most about health optimization. It is not about pretending you can control everything. You cannot.

It is about collecting better feedback.

Then making better decisions.

Final Thoughts

I took the full Function Health Mid-Year Test because I wanted the real comparison.

Not the highlight reel. Not the partial update. The full panel.

Earlier this year, my labs showed that the big cardiometabolic cleanup had worked. The next phase is more nuanced. Iron stores. Recovery capacity. Immune reserve. Particle quality. Training load. Stress adaptation.

I’m no longer fixing obvious risk, but instead building margin.

Now I wait about four weeks for the results.

And when they come in, we will see what the body says.

Hopefully something like, “Nice work and your biological age is steady around 35 years old.”

But knowing biomarkers, it will probably be more like, “Good start. Here are seven more things to obsess over.”

---

🩺 Disclaimer

The content on I Won’t Die is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any health concerns.

---

🚀 Get Started with Blueprint

Start optimizing your health today with $25 off your first order! Use our referral code to begin your Blueprint journey and take control of your longevity.

---

🏋️‍♂️ Track Your Sleep, Workouts & Recovery

Boost your performance and recovery with Whoop. Join with my referral link to get a free WHOOP 5.0 and one month free!

---

📲 Download the I Won’t Die App

Stay ahead with the latest news, updates, and insights. Download the I Won’t Die app now on the Apple App Store and Google Play!

---

📩 Contact Us

Have tips, photos, or questions? Want to collaborate? Reach out at [email protected] — we’d love to hear from you!

---

🔗 Stay Connected

Follow us on Don't Die, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn for Blueprint longevity and Bryan Johnson updates.

---

📬 Subscribe to I Won’t Die Newsletter

Get the latest longevity breakthroughs, Blueprint updates, and exclusive content straight to your inbox — sign up now!

---

From lab data to daily routine, how one simple addition is improving hydration, HRV, and how I feel every morning.

I’ve tried a lot of electrolyte drinks over the years.

If you’ve ever run a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or marathon, you know the drill. There’s always a sponsor handing out cups along the course. Some are great. Some… you take one sip and immediately regret your life choices.

So I never really thought much about electrolytes beyond race day.

That changed after my labs.

What the Data Actually Said

After my WHOOP Advanced Labs last November, one small thing stood out.

Not a red flag. Not a major issue.

Just a signal.

My BUN and BUN to creatinine ratio were slightly elevated, which often points to mild dehydration or high protein load at the time of testing.

The interesting part is that I already drink a lot of water.

Usually over one hundred ounces a day.

Hydration has always been one of my stronger habits.

But the takeaway was simple.

Water alone is not always enough.

The Adjustment

I did not overhaul anything.

I made a small change.

Electrolytes.

I started adding one scoop of electrolyte powder to about 24 ounces of water each day. On harder training days, or after a sauna or jacuzzi session, I might have two or three.

That’s it.

No complexity. No big protocol.

Just consistency.

What I Noticed

This is where it got interesting.

My HRV started improving.

Not overnight, but steadily.

Recovery scores became more predictable. Morning readiness felt smoother. Less variability.

And one pattern stood out.

If I have a glass of electrolytes before bed, I often wake up with a green recovery on WHOOP.

Not always. But often enough to notice.

There is a tradeoff.

I also wake up at night to use the bathroom more.

Worth it.

The One I Landed On

After trying a few options and doing a bit of research, I landed on:

KEY NUTRIENTS Electrolytes Powder (available on Amazon)

What I like:

• No sugar
• Sweetened with stevia
• No unnecessary additives
• Clean ingredient profile
• Easy to mix and drink

I started with lemonade and now rotate between:

• Strawberry Lemonade
• Pink Lemonade
• Orange
• Lemonade (again, still my favorite)

They also offer a range of other flavors and even unflavored options, which I may try next.

A 90 serving container usually runs around $40, but I’ve seen it closer to $25 when it goes on sale.

Why This Matters

It is about listening to small signals, not about adding another supplement to my daily routine.

My labs did not say “you have a problem.”

They said “there is an opportunity.”

Hydration is one of the fastest levers you can pull, and if your body is human like mine, you’ll feel the results right away!

It affects:

• HRV
• recovery
• sleep quality
• training output
• how you feel when you wake up

And unlike most things, it responds quickly.

Final Thoughts

The biggest improvements in my health this past year have not come from dramatic changes.

They have come from small, consistent adjustments.

This is one of them.

Easy to implement. Easy to maintain. Quietly effective.

And once it becomes part of your routine, you don’t really think about it anymore.

You just feel the difference.

---

🩺 Disclaimer

The content on I Won’t Die is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any health concerns.

---

🚀 Get Started with Blueprint

Start optimizing your health today with $25 off your first order! Use our referral code to begin your Blueprint journey and take control of your longevity.

---

🏋️‍♂️ Track Your Sleep, Workouts & Recovery

Boost your performance and recovery with Whoop. Join with my referral link to get a free WHOOP 5.0 and one month free!

---

📲 Download the I Won’t Die App

Stay ahead with the latest news, updates, and insights. Download the I Won’t Die app now on the Apple App Store and Google Play!

---

📩 Contact Us

Have tips, photos, or questions? Want to collaborate? Reach out at [email protected] — we’d love to hear from you!

---

🔗 Stay Connected

Follow us on Don't Die, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn for Blueprint longevity and Bryan Johnson updates.

---

📬 Subscribe to I Won’t Die Newsletter

Get the latest longevity breakthroughs, Blueprint updates, and exclusive content straight to your inbox — sign up now!

---